Paleo Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) and Romesco Sauce

If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing munchie for the game this weekend, look no further! I have the solution. Greek Meatballs (keftedes) and Romesco Sauce: the Paleo version!

I can’t remember a family get-together at my Theia (Aunt) Effie’s house that didn’t include these delicious, delicious morsels. Traditionally fried and made from lamb, these meatballs are packed with unique Greek flavors like mint and lots of garlic. This version is baked (healthier) and made from beef (cheaper) AND they’re Whole30/Paleo approved.

And these meatballs are served with the most delicious Romesco sauce ever that you will immediately want to put on everything you eat. How’s that for some Spanish/Greek fusion? It works. Trust me.

Of course, you can totally make a more traditional Greek tzatziki(yogurt cucumber) sauce to go with the meatballs if you want, especially if you aren’t on a dairy-free diet. Or, just eat them plain!

Probably the biggest Whole30 challenge, for me, is not actually the food restrictions themselves. It’s the social situations involved with food. If all there is to eat at an event is chips, queso, and gluten-laden foods, I know I won’t be a happy camper. Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. It’s almost impossible to resist the unhealthier treats if there aren’t any other options, PLUS there is the fear of offending people by not eating their food. It’s a catch-22.

I made these meatballs for my Nephew’s first birthday party this past weekend. I knew that pizza was going to be the main dish and since I’m still in the reintroduction phase of Whole30, pizza (sadly) wasn’t an option for me. So I offered to make these meatballs as an appetizer, along with a salad. That way I wasn’t awkwardly making a separate meal for myself and not sharing with anyone (rude!), nor was I starving myself staring at the pizza longingly from afar, crying softly. Which I certainly would have been doing had it not been for these delicious keftedes.

In fact, I didn’t even WANT pizza after eating salad and these meatballs!

I cannot say the same thing about my nephew, Ivan, for how much he wanted his first slice of cake. Man, he really dominated it. He tore into it with one piece in each hand, methodically alternating bites from each hand like he had done it a million times before.

I, on the other hand, very much enjoyed my first (and very well deserved, if you ask me) glass of wine after finishing the Whole30.

Anyhoo, back to the recipe!

Amongst the more lovely things about these meatballs and sauce, besides the outrageously delicious taste, is that everything can be made in advance. In fact, you can even make and cook the meatballs WAY in advance, freeze them, and defrost the day before you want to cook them.

I had to freeze exactly seven meatballs because, like a true Greek, I made these in epic proportions (I used a full two pounds of beef) and could not fit them all on my baking sheet. And those tasty, tasty meatballs are just waiting in my freezer for a day when I don’t feel like cooking.

…today might be that day. Get ready little meatballs, I’m coming for you!

A few quick notes about the recipe:

I cooked them for 25 minutes. It was too long, and they came out a bit dry. I recommend no more than 17-20 minutes, especially since they are so small.

I used tomato paste in the Romesco sauce instead of traditional straight up tomatoes. This resulted in me having to add more olive oil to thin it out. If you want a lower fat version of the sauce, use fresh or canned tomato AND the juices, with less olive oil. The juices will help thin out the sauce so you can use less EVOO.

You will probably have leftover sauce. Use it as a dip for veggies- I’ve been packing it in my lunch all week with carrots and broccoli! Or, just get in there with a spoon and go to town.

Paleo Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) and Romesco Sauce

This Paleo/Whole30 baked version of Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) are paired with a super easy Romesco Sauce. The PERFECT make-ahead appetizer for your next party!

Author:Elizabeth Lindemann

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:20 mins

Total Time:35 mins

Yield:50 meatballs 1x

Scale

Ingredients

For Meatballs:

1.5–2 lbs ground beef (or lamb)

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoons dried mint

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup almond flour/meal

1/4 cup tomato paste (1/2 small can)

salt and pepper, to taste

For Romesco Sauce:

1/2 cup almonds

1 jar roasted red peppers, drained (or 3 fresh roasted)

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup tomato paste (1/2 small can)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together using hands.

Using a tablespoon measure, measure equal spoonfuls of the mixture, form into balls, and place on a parchment covered baking sheet.*

Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes, or until cooked through and browned on top.

Meanwhile, add almonds to a food processor and pulse until chopped.

Add remaining ingredients except for olive oil for Romesco sauce and turn on to combine.

Add olive oil while food processor is running until desired consistency is reached.

Serve meatballs with sauce.

Notes

* At this point, you can place the baking sheet in the fridge and take out when you are ready to bake. Meatballs can be kept uncooked in the fridge for up to two days. Freeze for up to six months in an airtight container (after flash freezing on the baking sheet) and defrost the day before you want to cook.

They can definitely be frozen! In fact, I’ve had Greek meatballs served at room temperature many times, so you don’t even need to reheat them if you don’t want to. Just take them out of the freezer the day before and keep in the fridge, then take them out about an hour before the shower so they come to room temperature. Or, stick them in the oven for 15 minutes or so after they’ve defrosted in the fridge to warm them up if you want to serve them warm. Alternatively, you can freeze them uncooked and cook them in the oven the day of- I always prefer this method because sometimes cooked, frozen meat can dry out a bit when reheating. Hope you like them, and have fun at the shower!

I purposefully don’t include nutrition information on my blog for two reasons: 1) I don’t count calories or carbs myself, and 2) because I’m not a nutritionist, I can’t guarantee 100% accurate information. That said, I do use this nifty tool to help get nutrition information sometimes: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594. Just copy and paste the ingredients and enter the serving size, and viola! A nutrition label is made. For this recipe, I’d put about 12 servings (approximately 4 meatballs each). Also, sometimes you have to tweak the ingredients a bit (for example, salt and pepper can be deleted as well as any clarifying instructions). Hope this helps!

Hi! This has become our go to recipe for lamb! And the Romesco sauce was a revelation! I don’t make meatballs, though. I just put it all in a meatloaf pan and bake it and make it a Greek lamb meatloaf served with the sauce over it. So good!

I would give this recipe 500 stars if I could. My niece is begging to take the leftovers with her back to college. Can the sauce be frozen? I would pour the sauce over the meatballs and freeze it like that. Do you think it will work?

Oh and yes, I think freezing the sauce over the meatballs would work perfectly, then just defrost and stick it in the oven to warm up, or you can probably put it in frozen covered with foil to heat for a while too!

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Hi, I'm Elizabeth! I create easy, real food recipes for busy people. I'm a former high school art teacher from New England, now full time food blogger near Austin, TX, where I live with my hubby and two baby girls, Zoey and Eleanor. Learn more!

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Hi, I'm Elizabeth! I create easy, real food recipes for busy people. I'm a former HS art teacher, now full time food blogger. I live near Austin, TX with my hubby and two baby girls. learn more!

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